As the body-count races into triple figures, the relentless slam-bang thrills become a little wearing.
Davis bandages together his bravura set pieces with perfunctory characterisation and a ramshackle plot.
Hit man Mr Smith (Clive Owen) is happily minding his own business, chewing on a carrot to improve his eyesight, when he is drawn into a gun battle with villainous Hertz (Paul Giamatti) and his henchmen.
A mother is killed in the crossfire and Smith goes on the run with her newborn infant, which he christens Oliver after Dickens’s orphaned pipsqueak.
Unable to care for the mewling baby, Smith seeks out feisty, lactating prostitute Donna Quintana (Monica Bellucci), known as DQ for short.
Armed to the polished teeth, Smith goes on the run with DQ and Oliver in tow, while Hertz gives chase.
As long as you put your brain into neutral, Shoot ’Em Up is a rip-roaring rollercoaster ride with a very dark sense of humour.
